Change The Rules: SWAC/MEAC No Representation In FCS Playoffs

syDney CuIllIer THE SOUTHERN DIGEST

With only 1.2% of collegiate athletes that get drafted, the NCAA tournament is the end all be all in the sport of basketball. There is 32 division I conferences that send the best of their best to hopefully, bring home the national championship. However, this does not hold the same for football. Division 1 football is categorized into two different subdivisions; The Football Bowl Subdivision and the Football Championship Subdivision. In the FBS, you see the likes of schools such as most of your SWAC and MEAC conferences. They are offered fewer scholarships, have fewer resources, and are allowed to compete in the FCS national championship, but it has to be through an overall at-large conference bid, not automatic qualification. FBS Schools should automatically be allowed to compete in the FCS if their record is good enough and not have to choose a bowl game due to the financial incentives. The SEC and Big10 conferences, bring in more than hundreds of millions of dollars to their institutions which is largely due to the football season. Due to this continuous influx of money, their athletes in turn get better practice facilities, athletic stipends, and NIL versus that of FBS schools. Since FBS schools are automatically at a disadvantage financially, they have to take into consideration what is best for the overall program as a whole that can help achieve longevity versus in-the-moment fame. For instance, Jackson State, an HBCU that is in the FCS division but plays in the SWAC Conference, was ranked #5 overall in college football due to its 11-0 record. However, due to the 1 million dollar monopoly, ESPN has with the legacy bowl Head Coach Deion Sanders opted out of playing in the FCS national championship to play in the celebration bowl. In this instance, the team with the 2nd best record would’ve gone on to play in Jackson State’s place, which was Florida A&M, with their 9-2 season. But since the SWAC is split up into two of their divisions, SWAC west and SWAC east, Florida A&M would not have been able to get an at-large conference bid. The whole game of football is wrapped around the basic principle of whoever is best wins and moves on, and this should hold the same regardless of what division your team plays in. Florida A&M and Jackson State both had better records and ranks than FCS schools, and due to formalities couldn’t continue their season in the national championship playoffs. All in all, although not all division I sports are played at the same caliber of athleticism, the NCAA should not split up talent when talent is there, regardless of the sport.